My Jackfruit Waldorf Salad:-)

The first time I tried a Waldorf salad was at my local seaside chip shop when I was a teen. (I loved it, and the memory has stayed with me over the years). That version had the classic ingredients along with BBQ chicken. But I’d been wondering for awhile if I could make a plant-based version.

A few years ago I began seeing jackfruit recipes online and the first time I saw this fruit which looked like pulled-meat I thought of that yummy Waldorf salad. At the time, I’d searched around my local shops (and a few not local ones) for jackfruit but didn’t have any luck and so I shelved the recipe idea…Until last week, when I found jackfruit on the shelves of my local healthfood shop (woo hoo!).

So…this is jackfruit…. it really looks like meat! But unlike a lot of other vegan friendly meat alternatives, it’s  naturally gluten and soy free (it’s a fruit). Taste wise, it’s pretty mild, and it’s hard to describe. In my opinion, it doesn’t have a strong taste. There is a slight crunchy tang to it, but mostly I couldn’t help but think it was a bit like artichoke hearts (but more chewy). So far I’ve found it takes on the flavours of the dish you add it to reasonably well (eg. my Hearty Lentil Stew ) and it was great.

Anyway, yesterday we’d had a busy day and I didn’t have time to make a long-winded dinner, but I did have celery, apple and mayonnaise in the fridge and so I thought it was as good a time as any to try to recreate that Waldorf salad from the chip shop (ACK style).

So here it is:-) If you like Waldorf salad, but you’re free-from… you could give this one a go:-)

Ingredients

• 1 cup of drained and rinsed original jackfruit (I haven’t tried canned, but that would probably work too).
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 large or 2 small pink lady or fugi apples
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon mayonnaise suitable for your diet (see note below if you can’t have egg, soy or dairy and would like some options).
• OPTIONAL – 1/2  cup chickpeas

Method

There’s really not much too it, just chop the apple, walnut and celery, and rinse and drain the jackfruit (and chickpeas if you’d like to add a little extra plant based protein to the dish). Mix it all up in a large bowl and then add a generous tablespoon of mayonnaise.

The quantities are just a guide, have a play to make it the way you like it:-)

If you can’t have nuts, I’ve got a couple of ideas…. so leave me with it and I’ll get back to you:-)

I made our salad last night with a commercial mayonnaise because we finally found one that doesn’t make me itch, but if you’re having trouble finding a mayonnaise suitable for your diet because you can’t tolerate egg, you could try one of the recipes from The Little Book of Allergy-Friendly Tasty Toppings book there are 3 mayonnaise alternatives without egg in there.

NB: I’m not being paid to write this post. I’ve just shared the packaging picture because it makes it easier to find when you go shopping (and I was expecting to find it in a can if I ever found it here in Adelaide, rather than a vacuum sealed package in a cardboard box). Also I’m just sharing this post because I was so excited about finally finding it here in Adelaide that I thought I’d share it with you guys:-)